


Metamorphosis

by HeartOfFullmetal



Category: Fullmetal Alchemist - All Media Types, Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood & Manga
Genre: Abuse, Autism, Child Abuse, Child Neglect, Cutting, Dark, Depression, I'm actually not lying it was, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Implied/Referenced Self-Harm, M/M, Neglect, Not Beta Read, Ok bye, Onesided, Originally Posted on Wattpad, Parental - Freeform, Parental!Roy, Parental!Royed, Physical Abuse, Self-Harm, Sexual Abuse, autism is a legitimate tag here, i'm such a horrible person, onesided royed, this story was a mistake, why do i do this stuff to my child?
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-03-19
Updated: 2017-06-28
Packaged: 2018-10-07 12:48:17
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death, Rape/Non-Con, Underage
Chapters: 11
Words: 14,936
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10360854
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/HeartOfFullmetal/pseuds/HeartOfFullmetal
Summary: Autism AU where Ed has autism and Roy is his caretaker..."The thing was, Ed liked Roy. Like really liked him.. And that's why Ed had been saving money for so long. He was going to get a gift for Roy, but this whole ordeal, started with this very gift.It all started with that three hundred fifty dollar watch."BEWARE: NOT BETA READWARNING: THERE IS SEXUAL AND PHYSICAL ABUSE MENTIONS IN THIS STORY AS WELL AS SELF-HARM!!! PLEASE READ WITH DISCRETION!!!





	1. Metamorphose {Stage 1}

**Author's Note:**

> So this isn't beta read.... But if you would like to beta read it pleae let me know! I would be so grateful!!!!!!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Title Language: French  
> Autism AU where Ed has autism and Roy is his caretaker...  
> "The thing was, Ed liked Roy. Like really liked him.. And that's why Ed had been saving money for so long. He was going to get a gift for Roy, but this whole ordeal, started with this very gift.
> 
> It all started with that three hundred fifty dollar watch."  
> BEWARE: NOT BETA READ

Ed likes routine. It's comfortable and familiar. Roy makes eggs every morning for breakfast, they go to the café next to the antique shop every Tuesday and Thursday, And everyday Ed goes to his job at the grocery store to stock the shelves in the canned goods section from 12 o'clock to one-thirty. Roy leaves every day at two-thirty and comes back a four o' clock. Then they end the day by watching Bill Nye the Science Guy. Right now they were at the café. While Roy always got something new, Ed just liked to get the turkey club and a coke every time. While they ate Roy would do Ed's daily speech therapy. He had a talking device, but Roy was supposed to be teaching Ed to use his voice as well. Ed had only picked up a few words that he could say easily, not the words Roy actually wanted him to know though.

"Ed work with me here," Roy said, exasperated after so much of Ed's smartass mouth.

"No, fuck this." Ed replied, grinning widely. He'd been so proud of himself when he'd learned the word 'fuck' and used it every chance he got.

"Ed... Just work with me here," Roy was practically begging by now but he was also grinning so it didn't count in Ed's mind. Ed, sighed, his sign that he had given in.

"Finally! Now tell me what the names of these animals are." He held out a collection of cards with different animals on them. Ed pointed to the first one.

"Gow.." No that didn't sound right, His eyebrows knitted together as he tried to figure out what was wrong with it. That was one of the things that frustrated him the most. He wasn't able to make the sounds he wanted and sometimes if he wasn't able to use his talking device and was forced to use his words, people couldn't understand him.

"Kuh.." Roy prompted, and Ed looked up, "It's Kuh. Cow." Ed watched the movements of Roy's mouth, that helped him sometimes.

"Kuh," He repeated, "Kuh-ow?" Roy smiled at him.

"Yeah, now put it together. Cow."

"Cow."

"Good job." Roy held out the next one.

"Pig." Ed was able to easily say this one and Roy nodded. The next one made Ed grin, it was his favourite one because it rhymed with his favourite word.

"Fuck duck." He said and laughed, Roy never found things like this funny but Ed thought it was hilarious. Roy sighed and gave him the next picture.

"Pear..." Oh, this was another hard one, he thought on it again until Roy once again helped him with the word making the "Buh." Sound.

"Bear." Roy nodded. And the animals were finished. Roy paid the waitress lady and they left for the groccry store. From twelve o'clock to one-thirty, Ed stacked cans on the shelves Roy occasionally making him read the brand names, the bastard always found some way to work making Ed use his voice into everything. Honestly Ed hated his job. He knew he was different and he knew people stared when he jumped, or made a weird noise. He couldn't help it, he knew people got uncomfortable when he made a weird sound but sometimes the sound of his own voice made him feel good, it was satisfying. He'd heard little kids say to their moms,

"Mommy? Why is that man jumping?" Or, "Mommy? Why is that boy making weird noises." He'd heard older people say nasty things about him. Roy told him not to believe them but he still felt bad.

He'd heard people say things like, "Retard," and, "Stupid," Not really curse words but to know that, that's what people thought of him kinda hurt. But Roy was always there, telling him not to listen to them.

After work Ed knew he had an hour with Roy before Roy left at two-thirty. He didn't know where Roy went but he always came back at four o'clock. The only problem Ed had was that when it got close to two-thirty, Roy would keep going into the kitchen to see the time on the oven taking away his time with Ed. The thing was, Ed liked Roy. Like really liked him.. And that's why Ed had been saving money for so long. He was going to get a gift for Roy, but this whole ordeal, started with this gift.

It all started with that three hundred fifty dollar watch.


	2. Transformatio {Stage 2}

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Chapter Title Language: Latin  
> NONE OF ED AND ROY'S "PERSONAL INFO" IS REAL THEY WERE COMPLETELY MADE UP BY ME!!!!!!

Today was the day. Today, when Roy left at 2:30 Ed would go to the expensive watch store down on Dublith Avenue called "Mira Clockworks." He didn't know if there was smile on his face, but he sure felt as if it was. He got ready for his day. In this exact order:

 

1) Brushing his teeth

  
2) Washing his face

  
3) Combing his hair

  
4) Getting dressed [4a pants first, 4b shirt second]

  
Then he'd go downstairs, where Roy was making breakfast, stop him while the eggs were cooking so the man could tie up his long hair with the string he brought Roy. He hated getting his hair cut, the only thing Ed would allow Roy to get cut were uneven ends. And the appointments always had to be on Wednesdays.  
The day seemed to go by at the speed of a turtle, no, despite the common belief, turtles were actually very fast creatures, slow like... A slug! Yeah, a slug! After breakfast, Ed just had some free time.

  
He loved shapes. Loved them! He could spend hours and hours finding the areas and perimeters if different shapes. He knew the area formulas for each basic shape perfectly:  
Circle: A=(πr)squared

  
Square/Rectangle: A= ab

  
Trapezoid: A=1/2(b1+b2)h

  
Triangle: A= 1/2(bh)

  
Ellipses: A=πr1•r2

  
Parallelogram: A= bh

  
He liked shapes. They were structured. Each shape had a special name based on the number of sides it has. Like a pentagon has five sides, or a decagon has ten. Shapes were a part of everyday life, he could see them everywhere. The stop sign at the end of his street. The license plate on Roy's car (his license number was: 2a47-dk8)

  
Ed would mess around with his shapes, practicing finding the areas of polygons that had no special name, until Roy called him for lunch. It was Friday so they didn't go to the cafe. Macaroni and cheese was lunch today. As they sat down at the table Roy pulled out sheets of paper and a pen. Ed rolled his eyes, writing practice... He hated it... Roy set a piece of paper and the pen in front of him.

  
"Write your name," he said simply. He didn't have to prompt the blonde too much, he already knew the drill.

  
Ed swallowed the bite full of Mac n' Cheese he'd been chewing and picked up the pen. His brow furrowed in concentration as he slowly wrote out blocky letters, some to close so that they were overlapping each other, and some too far apart. In the end, it looked like:

Ed W ar D E lr i C

  
Sometimes he'd capitalize letters where they weren't supposed to be capitalized. Roy took the paper back and looked it over.  
"Not quite," he said and Edward huffed as Roy wrote out the correct format. He gave the paper back to Ed, "Do it that way." He told him and with severe concentration and willpower, Ed managed a decent print.

  
"Good job!" Roy praised and Ed puffed up with pride. He knew it was stupid to feel so good about something so trivial as a "good job," but praise coming from Roy was something he cherished. He wanted Roy's approval.

  
The writing process was repeated more times using his address:

 

520 Armor Street, Central City, Amestris. (Though he accidentally messed up the house number as 250)

  
His phone number: (873)426-7170

 

Roy's Name: Roy C. Mustang

  
And Roy's Phone Number: (873)573-1376

  
All of this was also information he needed to know in case he got lost and needed to tell someone who to call or where to take him. When they'd finished and Ed had finished lunch, they headed to the grocery store where Ed stacked cans from 12 o' clock to 1:30PM. Roy had him read the labels out loud. The bastard...  
"Bu-k-sh-es baked beans." Ed tried on one can and Roy shook his head.

  
"Sometimes the "c" is silent. Pretend the "c" isn't there." Ed gave him an unamused glare. The man knew that Ed didn't like pretending. It was illogical! Nonetheless he did as Roy told him and took the hard "c" out of his pronounciation.

  
"Bu-Sh-es baked beans." He said this time, "bucsh's" he said almost totally clear and Roy nodded.  
"Very good." Roy handed Ed another can.

  
"Green Gai-ant." He said and Roy shook his head.

  
"Remember what I told you about g's two sounds. What sound would "g" make here?

  
Ed thought for a second on what Roy had told him. "G" made the Guh sound every single time. Unless the "g" is being followed by an "e", "i" or "y". The word on the can was spelled: G-I-A-N-T. There was an "i" after the "g" so that meant that the "g" was actually going to make the "j" sound.

  
"Jai-ant." Ed tried again, "Giant." Roy nodded.

  
"Good." At 1:30PM, they left the grocery store for home. Ed had one hour with Roy until he had to go, to where ever he goes for that two hours that he's gone. They did puzzles most of the time. For a little while Ed showed Roy the new shapes he had come up with and his made up names for them.

  
Ed could tell when it was starting to get close to two thirty when Roy continuously went into the kitchen to look at the oven clock to see the time. Ed remembered the money he had stashed in his room, the last time Roy had gone out, he'd gone to the bank and cashed it for larger bills. Now he had exactly three hundred-fifty dollars and seventy-five cents. When two thirty approached, Roy slipped on his coat and shoes, slipping his wallet and phone into his back pocket.

  
"I'll be back soon," he told Ed as he always did, "Call me if you need me okay?" With that he left the house.

  
Once he'd left Edward waited exactly fifteen minutes before he got up and grabbed his money, walking down to Mira Clokworks. When he entered the store, he marveled over all the watches, he'd never seen so many before! He had no clue what to get Roy! That brought a troubled expression to his face.

  
"Hello sir, is there anything I can help you with," Ed looked up, startled at the voice of a young woman who must work in the store. She didn't bat and eye as his obvious differences which unnerved him but he was also grateful for at the same time. He pulled out his talking device and typed an answer quickly.

  
"Looking for a present for my friend." The deep-toned robotic voice said.

  
"Do you know what your friend likes?" She asked and Ed just shook his head. He didn't need his device to answer that.

  
"Well, that makes it a little harder to find something for them but I'm sure we can do it." She smiled at him and he forced himself to smile back at her. It's not that he didn't want to smile, it's just facial expressions were hard for him to form.

  
"Thanks." He typed in and the lady nodded.

  
"Of course, my name's Jenna. What's your's?"

  
"Edward."

  
"Can I call you Ed?" the blonde nodded his head and Jenna smiled.

  
"Alright then Ed, lets get to it!"

  
As they went along, she asked Ed questions about Roy.

  
"What's his name?"

  
"Roy C. Mustang."

  
"How old is he?"

  
"25."

  
"What's his favorite color?"

 

"He has two. Blue and silver."

  
"Does he like wristwatches?"

  
"He's never had a watch."

  
Finally they had picked out a watch. A pure silver pocket watch with two triangles facing opposite sides overlapping each other with a griffin holding a flag in the middle. The inside had Roman numerals for the numbers. And the four was correct too even! That made him very happy with the watch. The glass casing the clock was raised a bit and very smooth, no chips or scratches in it at all. And the hands of the clock had lace-like textured arrows with only the second ticket being just a straight line.

  
Ed really liked the flashy appearance. He wasn't sure if Roy would like it though, but he thought he might as well try and see. Jenna led him up to the counter where he paid exactly $350 for the pocket watch. Jenna helped him choose a nice box and bag to put it in and sent Ed on his way, wishing him good luck. As Ed walked back, he checked the time, it was 3:31PM. He still had a little bit of time. He took his time walking back home, imagining how happy Roy would be when Ed gave him the gift and Ed would be able to spend more one with Roy since he wouldn't have to go check the time in the kitchen anymore. He could just pull out his new watch and, boom! He had the time! As Ed walked along, he passed the café that he an Roy ate lunch at on Tuesdays and Thursdays. He thought he heard Roy's laugh and stopped to listen. Yeah! He did hear Roy's laugh! What was he doing at the café? Ed caught sight of him at one of the outside tables, sitting across from a very beautiful woman. He was smiling and laughing.

  
"And get this," he said and Ed listened in, "he can't even remember his house number! Aren't kids with autism supposed to be smart?" Ed knew that Roy was talking about him, he always forgot his house number.

  
"And I don't know what it is about shapes, but the kid's obsessed with them. He's always trying to show me these "new shapes" that he's invented. It's all a load of crap really." Ed felt his throat go tight. His shapes were important to him! Why was Roy making fun of his shapes?

  
"I kind of just want to quit, but where would he be without me? You know? He's practically helpless!" Ed's bottom lip quivered, the only sliver of emotion he'd shown in years. He continued on walking until he reached the house. Once he'd closed the door he lost it. Screaming he threw the box with the watch in it across the room, it bounced off the wall, leaving a small dent in it. He stomped his feet so that the whole house shook and was grabbing anything close to him and throwing it as hard as he could. He grabbed handfuls of his hair, yanking at it roughly and dug his nail into his arms until he was drawing blood. Tears streamed down his face in rivers as he sank to the floor. The whole house was a disaster by the end of his fit. Things were thrown everywhere, dents were in the walls where things had bounced off them. A lamp had fallen and broke when he had thrown a remote control at it. He stared at the ground silently, tears dripping from his face to his legs, which were folded underneath him. His head snapped up when he heard the door unlocking and he panicked. Roy would be furious at the mess he'd made. The door opened and the first thing out of Roy's mouth was:

  
"What in the hell..?" He stepped inside the house, closing the door behind him. "Edward? Ed come here now!" Roy called out and Ed made his way over to Roy.  
"What is the meaning of this?!" He asked. He sounded very angry and annoyed.

  
"Got mad." Ed typed into his device and Roy sighed.

  
"You can't just trash the place if you're mad, you idiot." He mumbled. Ed heard the word... The word that Roy told him he wasn't but now Roy had called him that. Did that mean he was? Did that means he was an idiot...?

  
Tears started falling down his face again and he screamed, loud and shrill.

  
"What the fuck?!" Roy exclaimed, "Ed what's wrong? Use your words!" Ed didn't hear him over his voice.

  
He suddenly gripped his device tight in his hands before flinging it as hard as he could against the wall, it crashed leaving a medium sized dent in the wall and a destroyed talking device. Ed was just about to grab the paperweight that he'd thrown earlier that was now next to his feet, and throw it but Roy caught his wrists.

  
"Ed, hey, hey look at me." Roy was using his soft voice, the one he used whenever Ed was upset about something. It did nothing to soothe him now though. He continued to scream and thrash in Roy's arms as the man held him tight to keep him from hurting himself. Ed chomped down on his hand and Roy let out yell, letting go of Ed, giving the boy a chance to scramble away from him. Roy looked up from his bitten hand, a furious expression on his face.

  
"That's it." He said quietly at first and Ed ceased his screams and sobs to listen, "that's it Edward I've had it with you!" He said venomously to the blonde. "I'm not going to put up with your shit anymore! I'm done!" Ed's eyes widened as he realized what Roy meant.

  
"No." He whispered, "No, no, no!" He sobbed. He reached out to grab Roy's sleeve, "I-... Yo-" Ed's brow furrowed as he tried to think of the words he wanted to say. Roy scoffed a laugh mockingly,

  
"Maybe if you'd actually tried during speech therapy, you'd be able to say what you want, idiot." He brushed Ed off and went to his room, pulling out a suitcase and packing everything that could fit in it.

  
"Consider whatever I leave a.. Reminder. A reminder that it's your fault that I'm quitting!"

  
"No, no, no!!! I-... I-..." His brow furrowed and his face scrunched up as he desperately tried to think of his words. But he was too late. Roy was done packing and was heading out the door. "I'll make sure that you have a new shadow here by tomorrow." He said, "Maybe you'll listen to them more than you did to me.. Brat." With that he left. Ed sat there quietly, disbelieving, Roy was gone... Roy was gone... And it was all. His. Fault. He bowed his head letting the last of his tears fall silently, he had nothing left to scream about, but the loss of Ry gave him a whole new reason to cry...

  
He's gone...


	3. Moondumine {Stage 3}

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Title language: Estonian  
> SEXUAL ABUSE/RAPE TRIGGERS PLEASE READ WITH DISCRETION!!!

Ed didn't sleep at all that night. He was still shocked over the loss of Roy. He clenched his arm with his opposite hand, squeezing hard, nails digging into the skin. He hadn't move from his spot on the floor at all that night.

  
When he heard the door rattle as someone unlocked it, he looked up, hope filling his thoughts. Had Roy come back? No, the person who opened the door wasn't Roy but someone else. This must be his new shadow. The man looked around the room with a grimace.

  
"Wow, he said the kid destroyed the place but I didn't realize how much." He said to himself. The his eyes landed in Ed and Ed felt himself shiver. He didn't like how the man looked at him. The man smiled at him. Ed didn't like that either.

  
"Well aren't you a pretty, little thing," the man said, approaching Ed who in turn backed away. He kept backing up until his back hit the wall behind him. The man didn't stop until he was right in front of the teen, trapping him.

  
Ed could smell alcohol on the man's breath and starting getting nervous as the man pressed him up against the wall. Everything was too packed. His breathing sped up as he got more and more nervous.

  
"Awe, don't be scared," the man cooed, "I'm not going to hurt you." Ed froze up when the man ran a hand over his body. Hadn't Roy told him to not let people touch him like this? He'd told Ed to say no and get away.

  
He pushed the man away from him an he stumbled back looking at the blonde, surprised.

  
"No!"

  
"No?" The man repeated, suddenly Ed found himself pushed against the wall again, hands wrapped around his throat, squeezing it, "let me tell you something boy," he growled as Ed struggled in his grip, "there will be no "no's" when it comes to me you hear?!" He let go of Ed's throat and the boy sank to the floor, gasping for breath. The man leaned down over him, tilting his face up with his hand gently.

  
"If you listen I won't have to hurt you. You listen alright love?" He said and Ed stared up at him unresponsive and the man's hand tightened on his jaw, "I said, do you understand?" He growled and Ed nodded frantically and the man smiled. "Good." He leaned down and placed a lingering kiss on Edward's lips. This felt wrong. This wasn't right was it? When Ed tried to move away, the man only leaned forward to keep their lips connected. Once again the man's wandering hands ran over his body and Ed shuddered. This felt so wrong! But he didn't do anything, he couldn't do anything. He just hoped that this would be over soon.

  
The man's hands traveled up his shirt and his skin jumped under the touch of the cold hands.

  
"You're very well built," the man praised, "let's see it." He pulled off Edward's shirt and gazed at his torso. It  made Ed feel so vulnerable and exposed as the man looked at his chest hungrily. "You're very beautiful, you know that pet?" Ed looked past the man's head trying to block out all senses so he didn't respond. The man didn't seem to care though and he continued roaming his hands over Ed's upper body. Then he reached the top of the teens pants. Undoing his belt, the man pushed down Ed's pants and boxers.  
"Well aren't you fortunate," he said as he ogled Ed's penis. Ed didn't hear him. He'd almost totally blocked all his senses. Then the man grabbed his dick.

  
Ed yelped in surprise as the man started stroking it. He scrabled, trying to get away, he don't like this, but the man held into him tightly. The man moved from the blonde's dick to his enterence, circling around his hole lightly with his finger before pushing in. Ed yelled and tried to get away as the man did but he slammed Edward against the wall, stunning him. Ed went limp and the man smirked and continued, adding another finger then another, scissoring then pullin his fingers out.

  
He unzipped his pants, pulling his dick out, stroking it a couple of times before lining it up with Ed's enterence. He snapped his hips forward, filling Ed with one thrust and the teen screamed in pain. The man moaned and started moving. Thrusting in and out of Ed roughly as Ed scrambled for purchase before finally jut grabbing his arm, digging his nails in.  Tears streamed down his face. This wasn't okay. This wasn't okay.

  
He whimpered as the man continued to fuck him and he felt some kid of liquid trickling down his thighs. He looked down to see what it was and saw crimson. It was blood. Ed whimpered and looked away, he couldn't stand the sight of blood. Suddenly he felt a warmth seeping throughout his insides as the man came inside him. The man then sighed contented as he pulled out. When he did, Ed dropped to his side limply. The man stood up, zipping up his pants again before petting Edward's hair softly.

  
"You were very good," he praised gently as if that was supposed to make him feel better about feeling violated. He felt sick, like he was going to throw up. And his skin crawled with every touch the man have him. He didn't react to the man's touches. He blocked out all his senses and tried to go numb. He thought of his shapes, saying the area formulas for each shape in his head, listing the special names for shapes with a certain number of sides up to twenty:

  
3- Triangle

  
4- rectangle/square

  
5- pentagon

  
6- hexagon

  
7- heptagon

  
8- octagon

  
9- nonagon

  
10- decagon

  
11- hendecagon

  
12- dodecagon

  
13- tridecagon

  
14- tetradecagon

  
15- pendedecagon

  
16- hexadecagon

  
17- heptadecagon

  
18- octadecagon

  
19- enneadecagon

  
20- icosagon

He laid on the floor l, listing the special names, thinking of the formulas until exhaustion hit him and h fell asleep. The last thing he thought wasn't about shapes though. The last thing he though before he fell asleep was:  
_"I forgot to give Roy his watch."_

Ed didn't sleep at all that night. He was still shocked over the loss of Roy. He clenched his arm with his opposite hand, squeezing hard, nails digging into the skin. He hadn't moved from his spot on the floor at all that night.

  
When he heard the door rattle as someone unlocked it, he looked up, hope filling his thoughts. Had Roy come back? No, the person who opened the door wasn't Roy but someone else. This must be his new shadow. The man looked around the room with a grimace.

  
"Wow, he said the kid destroyed the place, but I didn't realize how much," he said to himself.

Then his eyes landed on Ed, and Ed felt himself shiver. He didn't like how the man looked at him. The man smiled at him. Ed didn't like that either.

  
"Well aren't you a pretty, little thing," the man said, approaching Ed who in turn backed away.

Ed kept backing up until his back hit the wall behind him. The man didn't stop until he was right in front of the teen, trapping him.

  
Ed could smell alcohol on the man's breath and starting getting nervous as the man pressed him up against the wall. Everything was too packed. His breathing sped up as he got more and more nervous.

  
"Aw, don't be scared," the man cooed, "I'm not going to hurt you."

Ed froze up when the man ran a hand over his body. Hadn't Roy told him to not let people touch him like this? He'd told Ed to say no and get away. He pushed the man away from him and he stumbled back looking at the blonde, surprised.

  
"No!"

  
"No?" the man repeated.

Suddenly Ed found himself pushed against the wall again, hands wrapped around his throat, squeezing it.

"Let me tell you something boy," he growled as Ed struggled in his grip, "there will be no "no's" when it comes to me you hear?!"

He let go of Ed's throat and the boy sank to the floor, gasping for breath. The man leaned down over him, tilting his face up with his hand gently.

  
"If you listen I won't have to hurt you. You listen alright love?" he said, and Ed stared up at him unresponsive and the man's hand tightened on his jaw, "I said, do you understand?!" he growled, and Ed nodded frantically. The man smiled. "Good."

He leaned down and placed a lingering kiss on Edward's lips.

This felt wrong. This wasn't right was it?

When Ed tried to move away, the man only leaned forward to keep their lips connected. Once again the man's wandering hands ran over his body and Ed shuddered. This felt so wrong! But he didn't do anything, he couldn't do anything. He just hoped that this would be over soon.  
The man's hands traveled up his shirt and his skin jumped under the touch of the cold hands.

  
"You're very well built," the man praised, "let's see it." He pulled off Edward's shirt and gazed at his torso. It made Ed feel so vulnerable and exposed as the man looked at his chest hungrily. "You're very beautiful, you know that pet?"

Ed looked past the man's head trying to block out all senses so he didn't respond. The man didn't seem to care though and he continued roaming his hands over Ed's upper body. Then he reached the top of the teens pants. Undoing his belt, the man pushed down Ed's pants and boxers.

  
"Well aren't you fortunate..." he said as he ogled Ed's penis.

Ed didn't hear him. He'd almost totally blocked all his senses. Then the man grabbed his dick.

  
Ed yelped in surprise as the man started stroking it. He scrambled, trying to get away, he didn't like this, but the man held into him tightly. The man moved from the blond's dick to his entrance, circling around his hole lightly with his finger before pushing in. Ed yelled and tried to get away as the man did but he slammed Edward against the wall, stunning him.

Ed went limp and the man smirked and continued, adding another finger then another, scissoring then pulling his fingers out.

  
He unzipped his pants, pulling his dick out, stroking it a couple of times before lining it up with Ed's entrance. He snapped his hips forward, filling Ed with one thrust and the teen screamed in pain. The man moaned and started moving. Thrusting in and out of Ed roughly as Ed scrambled for purchase before finally just grabbing his arm, digging his nails in. Tears streamed down his face.

This wasn't okay. This wasn't okay...

  
He whimpered as the man continued to fuck him, and he felt some kind of liquid trickling down his thighs. He looked down to see what it was and saw crimson. It was blood. Ed whimpered and looked away, he couldn't stand the sight of blood. Suddenly he felt a warmth seeping throughout his insides as the man came inside him. The man sighed with content as he pulled out. When he did, Ed dropped to his side limply. The man stood up, zipping up his pants again before petting Edward's hair softly.

  
"You were very good," he praised gently as if that was supposed to make him feel better about feeling violated.

Ed felt sick, like he was going to throw up. And his skin crawled with every touch the man have him. He didn't react to the man's touches. He blocked out all his senses and tried to go numb. He thought of his shapes, saying the area formulas for each shape in his head, listing the special names for shapes with a certain number of sides up to twenty:

  
3- Triangle

  
4- rectangle/square

  
5- pentagon

  
6- hexagon

  
7- heptagon

  
8- octagon

  
9- nonagon

  
10- decagon

  
11- hendecagon

  
12- dodecagon

  
13- tridecagon

  
14- tetradecagon

  
15- pendedecagon

  
16- hexadecagon

  
17- heptadecagon

  
18- octadecagon

  
19- enneadecagon

  
20- icosagon

He laid on the floor, listing the special names, thinking of the formulas until exhaustion hit him and he fell asleep. The last thing he thought wasn't about shapes though. A single thought crossed his mind before he drifted off to sleep.

"I forgot to give Roy his watch."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Note: so the sad thing about this chapter is that these things actually happen. Sometimes the people that are supposed to be taking care of these kids actually abuse the, physically or sexually or both. I'm not saying all shadows and others that work with special kids do this, trust me I've met so many amazing people who work with kids with autism and other disabilities. But there at some that do it for either the money or the ability to hurt someone without getting in trouble because, the kid can't tell anyone. Especially if they're non-verbal like Ed in the story. So yeah. But anyways just wanted to post this note to let you know why the I have the new shadow acting like this. Happy reading guys!  
> ~Juria Kurosaki


	4. მეტამორფოზა {Stage 4}

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Title Language: Georgian  
> SELF-HARM TRIGGERS PLEASE READ WITH DISCRETION.

Roy was almost immediately assigned a new kid. His name was Alan and he was much easier to take care of than Ed ever had been. He'd been taking care of Ed since the boy was 8 when his mother and brother had died. He was 17 now.   
Alan had just turned 7 when Roy started working with him. He could already speak almost perfectly.  
Alan was a nice break from Ed. He was easily much more motivated to learn and do therapy than Ed had ever been. He didn't need a routine in his day to live like Ed did. That had always annoyed him. Ed's routines. It was a few weeks into working with Alan when he received a call from Ed. He ignored it and listened to the message later that night, it was just the scuffle of someone moving around. Delete. The second call came a week and a half later. Roy ignored it again and listened to the message.  
"Roy," the first thing out of Ed's mouth surprised him, they'd never worked on saying Roy's name, "Roy.. Roy I-" The man could tell that Ed was having trouble with his words. Delete. The third call was only a couple days after, "Roy.." It sounded like the blonde had been crying but Roy knew that couldn't be true. Edward Elric didn't cry, "Roy... Pi-..." He struggled to find his words, "pi-ck, u-up." His breaths were shaky a scuffle and a voice were heard in the background and the message suddenly stopped. Delete. This was stupid. Did the boy think that finally learning to use his words and a little bit of acting would magically bring him back? He had to admire Ed's new shadow though, he must be working very hard and very often with Ed if the teen was able to speak as clearly as that now after such a short time.  
During the message left on the fourth call Ed had been crying, no doubt about it.   
"Roy..." He said his voice clearer than it ever had been, even through his tears. Roy... Co-... Come.. Come home..." He sobbed. "Come home..." Roy shook his head in disbelief, didn't Ed get it? He wasn't coming back, he'd finally gotten away from the stupid brat and he wasn't ever coming back.  
On the fifth call, Roy decided to pick up.   
"What do you want Ed? He asked in an annoyed voice.  
"Roy," Ed whispered frantically, he sounded terrified, "Roy co-come home. Come home ple-please!" Roy sighed.  
"Ed I don't think you get this but I'm not coming back. I finally got away from you. I'm not coming back." The other side of the line was quiet only a soft sniffle was what Roy could hear. The kid had good actin, Roy had to give him that.  
"Roy I-" suddenly, a large crash that sounded like a door being slammed open filtered through the phone into Roy's ear.  
"What the fuck did I tell you about using the phone huh?! HUH?! I told you that you're not allowed to use it! That's what I told you!" Roy could hear that smack of a hand hitting flesh as whoever it was repeated his words, "You. Are. Not. Allowed. To. Use. The. Phone!!!!" Each word was emphasized by a smack and Roy could just barely hear Ed's whimpers as the man screaming at him hit him. A thud and a crash sounded through the phone as something hit a wall. Ed's pained yelp gave Roy a terrifying clue that the thing that was hitting the wall was the small blonde. He heard footsteps approaching the phone and the someone picking up the phone. Then suddenly, the line went dead.  
Roy slowly pulled the phone away from his ear, staring at it in shock. Was the man screaming at and hitting Ed his new shadow? Save. A worried frown painted itself on Roy's face and he put his phone back in his pocket. Ed didn't call ever again after that.

_EDWARD:_  
Ed finally understood now. Roy wasn't coming back. He would never see Roy again, he'd never be able to give the man his watch. He leaned up against the wall, stunned from the impact as he saw his shadow hang up the phone.  The man turned back to him.  
"If you _ever_ get on or even go _near_ the phone again, I'll fucking kill you! You hear me?! I'll fucking kill you!!!" He kicked Ed in the gut, knockin the breath out of the boy, before storming out of the room. It was okay, he wouldn't need to use the phone ever again anyway. Roy didn't want him. Wasn't going to help him. He'd live like this for the rest of his life. Maybe it was for the best though...   
The house always smelled like booze and his shadow always brought home pretty girls. Ed had to stay hidden at all times unless the man called him. He was barely fed and the man made him sleep on the floor. His shadow had torn all his shapes to shreds and now he had no escape except for in his mind.  
Tears welled up in Edward's eyes. He'd worked so hard to learn to speak clearly by himself and Roy wouldn't listen to him. Didn't Roy once say that he'd always listen to Ed? But then again, that was also when Roy was still his shadow so it probably didn't apply anymore. He kept Roy's watch hidden from the man. He wanted to keep it safe so if he saw Roy someday, he could give him his watch.  
He pulled his knees up to his chest, wrapping his arms around his legs and burying his face against his knees. He rocked himself trying to soothe himself with the motion. He imagined Roy's soft voice, whispering reassurances in his ear:  
"It's alright." And "You'll be okay," and "I'll always be here."  
Then he remembered that it was all in his mind. That Roy had quit, that Roy was gone, that Roy hated him. His fingernails cut the skin of his arm as he dug them in. The pain was a relief. But it wasn't enough. Ed looked around the room, finally spotting a piece of a broken beer bottle. He reached out with a shaking hand and picked it up. He studied it closely and curiously for a moment, deciding which side was the sharpest. The when he decided,  
He set the makeshift blade along the skin of his arm... 

  
And cut...

 


	5. Banyuhay {Stage 5}

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Title Language: Filipino
> 
> WARNING THERE'S ABUSE IN THIS CHAPTER SO PLEASE READ WITH DISCRETION!!!!

All Ed knew was pain now. He would hide himself in happy memories. His shapes, showing Roy his new shapes, sitting by the fire watching Bill Nye when it was cold outside. Hell, he missed the things he hated doing then. If anything he wished for one more speech therapy session with Roy, or one more lunch at the cafe. He'd give anything really.  
It was exciting when the man told him he could come along on an errand with him. To see the sun again would be so amazing! They walked through the streets, Ed looking at everything he used to take for granted with a new interest. He wanted to memorize everything here. He didn't know when he'd be allowed outside again.   
The man let him wander as long as he came back to the same spot they were at by 7:00 PM. His only rule was don't talk to anyone.

He passed the cafe that Roy and he used to eat lunch at on Tuesdays and Thursdays. It was also the place where Ed found out that Roy thought he was a joke. He looked in the window and stopped. Roy was in there. And he wasn't alone.... He was with a little boy, maybe 7 or 8 and they were talking. Roy was smiling and laughing in a way that he never had while he was Ed's shadow. He seemed to enjoy being this kid's shadow much more than he enjoyed being Ed's. He noticed that the kid was talking. He was talking with ease, almost as if he was normal. Was that why Roy liked him better? Was that why Roy left him? He was too weird? Too unusual? Was He was too embarrassing? 

Ed entered the cafe, keeping his head down, hoping to not catch Roy's eyes. He sat at a table for two only a couple of tables away from where Roy and the kid were sitting. He could hear them talking. The boy spoke almost perfectly. The only indicators that he had autism would be that he stopped a lot to think of words and he'd flap his hands a little bit, but not too much. But other than that, he looked... Normal... Acted normal. A waitress came up to take Ed's order, and she recognized him instantly,

"Ed ! I haven't seen you in forever!" She said with a smile, Ed forced a smile back.  
"Hi Rae." He said softly.  
"No device today?"   
"No-..." He thought for a second on which word would fit his excuse, "Prac-... Practicing."  
"Ah, okay, cool. Do you want the usual?" Ed realized he didn't have any money when she asked him.  
"Can't pay.." He said and she waved him off   
"Oh, don't worry it's on the house, you look so thin anyway!" She paused then said, "Why aren't you sitting over there with Roy? He said you were transferred to another shadow, why don't you sit with him? He would be so happy to see you!"  
"No-..." Before he could find the right words to decline she'd already called over to Roy.  
"Hey Roy! Look who's here!" His skin turned sheet white as Roy turned to see Ed, "C'mon Ed!" She took a hold of his hand, not noticing his flinch as she brought him over to the table, "I'll pull up a chair for you!" Rae left quickly and came back with a chair for Ed, "There you go!"  
"Thanks." Ed mumbled even though he wished she hadn't called any attention to him. He sat down in the chair quietly, looking everywhere in the room , except for at Roy and the boy.   
"So you're Ed?" The kid asked and Ed nodded, "Cool! Roy told me all about you!"  
"Really...?" Ed wondered what Roy had told the kid.  
"Yeah he said you're obsessed with shapes!" Ed looked away.  
"Not a-... Anymore," he said quietly.  
"What do you mean?" Roy asked him. Ed could tell that Roy didn't believe him.  
"Not allowed."  
"What?"  
"Not allowed to.... Like... Shapes." He explained. Ed fidgeted nervously. He caught Roy studying his face and he became extremely aware if the bruises on his face.  
"Who hit you Edward?" He asked softly.  
"No one," Ed lied instantly, "Hit a door." He didn't think Roy bought it but didn't say anything.  
"Man, that must've been one really hard door! Look at the size of your bruises! You sure you don't need ice for it?" Ed shook his head and stood up.   
"I-.... Should..? I should go." He said intending to make an exit when Roy grabbed his wrist suddenly. Ed panicked at the contact, gasping and yanking his hand away with such a force that he fell back into the table behind him. He curled into himself, covering his head with his hands , trembling terribly. When he looked up he realized, no one was going to hit him. He was making a huge fool out of himself. He understood why Roy wouldn't want to be seen with him. He feel the stares of people in the cafe. This was probably so embarrassing for Roy. He slowly stood up again and turned away from Roy and the boy.  
"I should go.." He said quietly again and hurried out of the cafe as tears threatened to fall down his face. He heard a chair scraping and footsteps following after him.   
"Ed." Ed turned around again at Roy's voice.  
"Yeah?" He responded.  
"Speech therapy seems to be going good." Ed's mouth worked. That was something he wished he had again.Speech therapy. Roy thought he still had it.  
"Don't do speech anymore." He said and Roy looked confused.  
"Then how are you...-"  
"Taught myself." Roy was even more confused now.  
"Why now? You never wanted to learn before."  
"Wanted to apologize to you... Wanted... Wanted to tell you something important and give you something..." Ed looked away, "It... doesn't.. It doesn't... matter now." He said quietly, his choppy words sounding worse as his voice wavered.  
"What did you want to tell me?" Roy questioned. And I Ed opened his mouth.  
"I... I lo-"  
"Edward!" Ed's shadow called to him, "it's time to go!" Ed turned, eyes widening as he saw his shadow coming toward them.

"I gotta go." He said and turned away. Roy grabbed him again.

"Ed... Your call... Did that man hit you?" He gestured to the man approaching them and Ed smiled at him though Roy could tell it was forced. More than usual.

"It's okay.." He said, "I broke a... A rule." Roy studied the dark bruises on his face, this wasn't how a shadow should deal with their kid breaking rules. Something bad was going on here.

"I'll come visit you sometime, okay?" Ed's eyes widened in surprise and filled with hope and joy.

"R-Really?" He said, "I-"

"Ed!" The man called, much closer than he had been before, his voice sounded furious and the light in Ed's eyes disappeared.

"I.. Gotta go." He said quietly, closing himself off again, "Bye Roy." He turned and approached the man who had an annoyed look on his face.

"I thought I told you not to talk to anyone," He growled softly in Ed's ear, and the teen flinched away.

"I-" The man grabbed his ear, pulling hard and making Edward yelp.

"Did I tell you to talk? Hmm? Did I? No, I don't think I did. So shut your fucking mouth." He dragged Ed all the way back to the car, throwing him in the back seat before slamming the door. Ed's hands pressed against the window as he watched Roy while the man drove them away. Once Roy was out of sight, he turned around in his seat and sighed. He closed his eyes and blocked out his senses, going numb until they reached the house and his punishment for talking to Roy started.

It was creative. He was creative with his punishments. Fire didn't hold good memories anymore, and hangers weren't used to hang clothes on anymore, bleach wasn't just used to clean the bathroom anymore. The man would pin him against the wall, strike a match and hold it up against his skin.

"You don't talk to people," He said as he pressed a burning match against the skin of Ed's stomach. Tears streamed down his face but quiet whimpers were the only sounds of pain that he allowed himself to make, "You don't talk to _anyone_! You hear?! You don't talk to _anyone_  unless I tell you that you can. "

"Do you understand?" The man lit another match, holding it against a patch of skin that wasn't blistering with burns yet. When Edward didn't answer his question, he slammed the boy back hard against the wall so that his head cracked against it, "I _said_ , do you understand?!" This time Ed nodded and the man grinned, "Good."

By the time Ed crawled back to the corner he slept in, he was covered in burns, new bruises and red welts from being beaten with a hanger. His tongue burned with the taste of cleaning product, layers of the muscle had probably dissolved into nothing from the bleach. The man would force it down his throat then let him sit for a while as the poison took effect. Then just as Ed would usually start to black out, he'd pull him roughly over to the toilet, shoving a finger down his throat, making him throw it all back up again. The process would repeat itself over and over until the man got bored and would just leave him lying there. He would eventually find enough strength to drag himself back to his corner. He would pull his glass shard out and press it against the skin of his underarm and slice. He couldn't stand the sight of the blood so as the cuts would bleed, he would wipe it away with the sheet he used as bedding. The sheet had been stained by his blood many times already, it wouldn't hurt if there was just a little bit more on it. When he'd relaxed as much as he could, living with the man made it hard to relax, he would lay himself down, closing his eyes and numbing himself of his senses.

That was his getaway. If he numbed himself, he protected himself from the bad things happening around him. He thought of his shapes. The formulas, the special names, he thought of the names of 3-D shapes and their volume and surface area formulas:

Cube- **Volume:** V=a³   **Surface Area:** SA= 6 × a² 

Cuboid- **Volume:** V= l × w × h   **Surface Area:** SA= 2 × w × l + 2 × l × h + 2 × h × w 

Sphere- **Volume:** V=(4/3) × π × r³   **Surface Area:** SA= 4 × π × r² 

Ellipsoid- **Volume:** V=4/3 × π × a × b × c  **Surface Area:** SA=2 × π × [c² + (b × c²)/(√(a²-c²)) × F(ᵩ,k) + b × √(a²-c²) × E(ᵩ,k)] 

Triangle Pyramid- **Volume:** V = 1/3AH   **Surface Area:** SA = A + (3/2)bh 

Square Pyramid- **Volume:**   V= 1/3 × l² × h   **Surface Area:** SA=a × (1 + 2 ×√((a/2)² + h²) 

Hexagonal Pyramid- **Volume:** V= (√3/2) × a² × h  **Surface Area:** SA=  (3 ×√3/2) × a² + 3 × a × √(h² + 3 × a²/4)

Prism- **Volume:** V= Bh  **Surface Area:** SA= 2(lw+lh+wh) 

Rectangular Prism- **Volume:** V= l × w × h  **Surface Area:** SA=   2 × w × l + 2 × l × h + 2 × h × w

Pentagonal Prism- **Volume:** V= (1/4) × √(5 × (5 + 2 × √5)) × a² × h  **Surface Area:** SA=  5 × a × h + (1/2) × √(5 × (5 + 2 × √5)) × a²

Cone- **Volume:** V= 1/3πr2h  **Surface Area:** SA=  πrs + πr2

Cylinder- **Volume:** V=  π × r² × h  **Surface Area:** SA=   2 × π × r × (r + h)

Octahedron- **Volume:**  V=  (√2)/3 × a³  **Surface Area:** SA=   2 × √3 × a²

Dodecahedron- **Volume:**  V=  (15+7×√5)/4 × a³  **Surface Area:** SA=   3×√(25+10×√5) × a²

Icosahedron- **Volume:**  V=  5×(3+√5)/12 × a³  **Surface Area:** SA=  5×√3 × a²

He thought of the 3-D shapes, repeating their formulas in his mind over and over again until he fell into a dreamless sleep.

 

**Roy:**

Roy could barely sleep that night. Something really was wrong with Ed and his new shadow. He was scared for the boy. Yeah sure the teen may have annoyed the hell out of him with all of his stupid little quirks but for any child to be going through what he believes Ed is going through right now is just wrong. He wanted to visit the boy, he wanted to call authorities. But they wouldn't help unless there was some kind of evidence. A video, or maybe an audio recording. But Roy couldn't capture either of those things without going to the blonde's house first. The man tossed and turned in his bed until he decided. He would take a day off sometime next week... That's when he would go and check on Ed.

Eventually, after deciding, he fell into a restless sleep.


	6. Meiteamorfósis {Stage 6}

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Title Language: Irish (Gaelic)
> 
> Writing Playlist: Blind- Hurts, Illuminated- Hurts, Mercy- Hurts, Help- Hurts,  
> I Found- Amber Run
> 
> (Music links at the end)
> 
> Enjoy~

Ba-dum, ba-dum, Ed could hear the sound of his heart beating loudly. So loudly he wondered if a person passing by the closet he was locked in would be able to hear it. This always happened when guests came over. The man would lock him in the upstairs linen closet. The inky blackness of the dark in the closet would seep inside him, it’s tendrils crawling around his insides, seeping into his veins, curling around his heart and lungs and squeezing like a boa constrictor until blood rushed in his ears and his breathing came out in ragged pants. The darkness suffocated him until he felt as if he would pass out in panic. He would curl into himself, rocking. 

 

Back and forth. 

 

Back and forth.

 

It was to no avail though. He could hear the voice of a woman and the greasy-slick voice of his shadow as they conversed. Later, after the dinner the man had said he made but really hadn’t, he would lure her into his bed. Saying it was special, only to kick her out the next morning like she was trash. The woman would never know that Ed existed. She would pass by the linen closet and never hear his harsh pants because he would hold his breath when they passed by. He had to or the man would punish him later on for being discovered.

 

Roy had said he would visit. He didn’t know how long it had been since he said that, but Roy still hadn’t visited and his hope had died again. He huddled into a back corner of the closet, wrapping his arms around his legs which were bent up against his chest. He shivered and his breaths shook with him.

 

_ “3- Triangle _ __  
_ 4- rectangle/square _ __  
_ 5- pentagon _ __  
_ 6-  hexagon _ __  
_ 7- heptagon _ __  
_ 8- octagon _ __  
_ 9- nonagon _ __  
_ 10- decagon _ __  
_ 11- hendecagon  _ __  
_ 12- dodecagon _ __  
_ 13- tridecagon _ __  
_ 14- tetradecagon _ __  
_ 15- pendedecagon _ __  
_ 16- hexadecagon _ __  
_ 17-  heptadecagon _ __  
_ 18- octadecagon _ __  
_ 19- enneadecagon _ __  
_ 20- icosagon” _ __  
  


He whispered to himself over and over, squeezing his eyes shut to rid himself from the black snakes that lingered in the darkness of the linen closet, but there were even more black horrors hiding under his eyelids and they caused his eyes to fly back open, wide and unseeing. He fisted his hands into his hair and yanked hard.

 

He wanted to scream… He wanted to cry and sob and scream. But when he would open his mouth, nothing would come out because of his fear of his shadow who would take flame to his skin or pour bleach down his throat until he blacked out then make him throw it all back up again. The man would beat him or he might rip off Edward’s clothes and touch him or rape him. He would throw him on the floor after then Ed would drag himself to his corner and slice at the skin of his forearm. Wiping away the blood as red dots of it bloomed from the cuts he made. So he didn’t make a sound.

 

His shuddering breaths came faster and faster as the man and whoever he had lured home today, made their way upstairs and his breathing stopped all together when they passed the closet. Ed could hear their voices but he couldn’t hear what they were saying. The woman’s voice sounded soft… Soothing. Like a mother’s voice. He closed his eyes and remembered his own mother. Soft smile, brown hair and brown eyes. Her favourite dress was purple and she always smelled like vanilla. She made the best chocolate cake. His thoughts drifted to his brother, Al. Dirty blonde hair, loved milk(for whatever crazy reason), hazel eyes. He liked to catch fish with his bare hands in the creek near their house and he always tried to include Ed in games with the other kids. He had always looked out for Ed, making sure none of the other kids were being mean to him because of his differences.

 

He remembered the day of the accident. He was eight. Mom and Al had just bought a new car and they were taking a ride in it. The engine malfunctioned and it caught on fire. The car doors wouldn’t open and they burned alive, the smell of burnt flesh hung in the air for days afterward. He hid in his room for days. Not eating, not drinking. Then Roy came. He had opened the door quietly and approached Ed, kneeling in front of him. Ed had had his ears covered, wrapped his body tightly in a blanket, whispering phrases mom had always said.

 

_ “Hey,” Roy said softly, a gentle smile on his face. It looked like mom’s smile, “I’m Roy, you’re name is Ed right?” Ed didn’t respond, he didn’t know how, no one had spoken to him directly before. How was he supposed to answer? He knew what he wanted to say, what words, the tone… How was he supposed to say it? What words? What tone? How would the sounds of the letters form in his mouth? He sat quietly, but Roy didn’t seem to mind and sat down with him. _

 

_ Silence hung heavy in the air, but it was a comfortable silence. Roy pulled out a package of cheese crackers from the satchel he’d brought with him, opening it. Ed looked up at the sound and saw Roy lift one of the little cracker sandwiches to his mouth. His stomach growled. _

 

_ Roy stopped when he heard and looked over at Ed, that smile still on his face. He held out the cracker. _

 

_ “You hungry?” He asked as Ed took the cracker from him, stuffing it into his mouth. When he’d finished the cracker, he made a grab for the rest of the package and Roy gave it to him. _

 

_ As Ed ate, Roy pulled out a water bottle and held that out to Ed also. Ed took it after finishing the food and drank long gulps. He hadn’t realized how thirsty he was! When he pulled the bottle away from his lips he looked back at Roy, who was standing again. The dark haired man held out his hand. _

 

_ “Come with me,” he said. Ed just stared at his hand confusedly. What was he doing? Eventually Ed just stood, guessing that that’s what Roy had wanted him to do. Roy took his hand back, seemingly unfazed by the fact the Ed hadn’t taken his hand. _

 

_ “Come on,” he said gently and started walking out of Ed’s room, the young blonde following behind him. He led Edward to a car, opening the back seat. Ed stopped for just a moment, breath hitching and a tremor running throughout his body. But then it was gone and he got in the car. Roy was speaking to the neighbours, Pinako Rockbell, who he and Al had always called Granny, and her granddaughter Winry. Roy was promising them that he’d take good care of Ed and that they’d called the right service. He told them that they could come visit him whenever they wanted he wrote something down and gave it to them. _

 

_ “Here’s my phone number and the address of the house,” He said. Then he and Granny shook hands and Roy got in the car, starting it. He turned around to look at Ed, smiling. _

 

_ “You’re going to live with me from now on okay?” He asked and Ed just stared. What? What was going on? He looked out the window to Granny and Winry, they were both waving goodbye. Ed waved back as Roy drove them away. _

 

Roy had always been so kind and patient with him. Never getting angry or annoyed, always understanding… Until he left. Until he left all because of Ed.

 

Edward heard the moans of the woman in the room next to the linen closet and the grunts of his shadow.

 

Over and over it happened for what must’ve been hours, she was there, moaning and he was there, grunting. Until it was quiet. They must’ve finally gone to sleep. But Ed knew better than to come out right now, no, he only came out when the man said he could come out.

 

He didn’t sleep.

 

Next morning, the woman left. The man had almost literally dragged her and trew her out the front door, slamming it closed behind her. Ed waited to be let out of the closet but the man hadn’t come up to let him out yet. Instead, Ed could hear him calling in an order from a breakfast place. Ed’s stomach growled. He hadn’t been fed for a while. He stayed quiet, screams of fear of the darkness still choked off in his throat so that he wouldn’t get in trouble. They would never be set free. He curled his hands into a fist and pressed them up, knuckles-first, against his forhead. The pressure was painful but soothing. His eyes squeezed shut and this time stayed shut. He heard the doorbell ring and assumed it must be then delivery guy with the man’s breakfast. His eyes snapped open, wide and shocked when he heard the voices.

 

It wasn’t the delivery guy.

  
It was  _ Roy _ ! 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Blind- Hurts: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-dMRnakXHj0  
> Illuminated- Hurts: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5tuWQbD4IlI  
> Mercy- Hurts: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K620_iibRKo  
> Help- Hurts: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HggiUVgTvig  
> I Found- Amber Run: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=szJQ0d7WOZ8


	7. 変身 {Stage 7}

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry it's so short!!!
> 
> Writing playlist: Nicotine- Panic! At the Disco, House of Memories- Panic! At the Disco, Mercy- Hurts 
> 
>  Title Language: Japanese  (pronunciation: Henshin)
> 
> Also just wanted to clear something up: Edward is 16-17 years old in this story which therefore means that he cannot live on his own because he is not yet 18. As people probably know, but some are just not paying mind to, it is the law that all persons under 18 must have a legal parent or guardian to take care of them. So, even if Edward could take care of himself and be capable of living alone,(which in my story he isn't) he can't because he is still considered a child by law and must have a parent or guardian(in this case a guardian)to take care of him.
> 
> Also: This story was made to raise awareness for caretakers whom abuse their position and take advantage of the person they are supposed to be taking care of. Some people may not like to talk about this or they may not like people writing about it in fiction OR non-fiction but this is an important subject to discuss. Many people don't know about what sometimes goes on behind closed doors and writing about it whether in fiction OR non-fiction helps the public understand and be more aware of what goes on, it'll allow them to know and watch for signs of abuse and understand what abuse actually means in possible real life cases. So while some people may not like it, this is an important topic that should be addressed so more people are aware of it and can helpand one of the best ways to get through to people are fictional stories because face it, most people aren't going to walk up to someone and ask "her can you give me some pointers on what the signs of abuse are?" It's not going to happen very often (and would most likely be considered rude to some people who don't think it's appropriate to talk about this stuff). I have two brothers with autism so this is something very important to me.
> 
>  
> 
> I'm going to finish these notes at the end.

 

When the door opened, Roy immediately knew something was wrong. The house _reeked_ of beer and stink. The man who answered the door was wearing a grey shirt that was stained with some sort of liquid.

“Um you’re not the Denny’s guy… Who the fuck are you?” Yes something was definitely wrong.

“I’m Roy… Ed’s old shadow, I came to visit him,” the man’s eyes widened.

“Oh! Yeah, yeah! Come in! Come in!” Roy nodded stepping into the house. It was a mess, things were everywhere, “Sorry for the mess.”

“It’s fine,” Roy said, though it wasn’t fine, this wasn’t fine.

“Wait in the living room and I’ll go get Ed,” the man left and Roy made his way to the living room. He sat on the couch. The TV was on some sort of sports channel. The couch was dirty, and stained with… Was that blood? He heard the man coming back downstairs with Ed in tow. New bruises were on the blonde’s face. Roy’s frown deepened at the sight. The man gave him a small push and Ed flinched and hurried over to the couch, sitting nervously.

“Ed,” Roy whispered and Edward’s head snapped up, his eyes were wide and his pupils blown wide like he’d just gotten out of a dark place. His lips were forming words but no sound came out of his mouth. It was almost as if he was scared to make a sound.

“Can I have a hug Ed?” Roy asked and Ed almost shook his head until his shadow put a hand on his shoulder and then he nodded frantically, practically throwing himself into Roy’s arms, wrapping his own around Roy tightly as if he never wanted to let go. He could feel Ed’s lips moving but still no sound coming out.

“How are you Ed?” He asked but all Ed did was shut his mouth with an audible click.

“Oh, he doesn’t speak much,” his shadow said and Roy looked perplexed.

“That can’t be right, he was talking to me almost perfectly on your last outing. And on the phone too. Right Ed?” He turned back to Ed but the boy had gone sheet white.

“Was he now,” the man’s tone had turned dark… Angry… Then the tone was gone.

“Would you like something to drink, ah, Roy was it?” Roy nodded, this was a great chance to get the man out of the room.

“Yes that would be great,”

“Okay, I’ll be right back, be good Ed,” with that the man left. After he was gone, Roy turned back to Ed.

“Ed,” Roy said, “be serious with me. “Has that man hit you?” Ed didn’t answer, he just stared, eyes wide and unseeing, “Ed,” Roy whispered, “Ed, look at me,” Ed turned his head to look at Roy.

“The- the closet.. I’m supposed to be in the cl- closet,” Roy’s eyes widened, was Ed being locked in a closet?

“Why do you need to be in the closet Ed,” Roy whispered, dreading the answer.

“Guest, we- we have a…? A guest. I’m supposed to stay in the closet when there’s a guest,” he hissed when his wrist rubbed against Roy’s clothes and Roy looked down and gaped slightly. From his elbow to his wrist on both arms ran cuts, long and short. Some fresh, some scabbed, some infected.

“Ed… Did you do this?” He held up one of Edward’s wrists gently. Ed stared down at the bloody wrist.

“It… It makes…? Makes the pain st-stop,” he said in a hushed tone, “It… It makes i-it stop,”

“Oh Ed,” this wasn’t right, it wasn’t okay. He brushed his hand across one of the newer bruises on Ed’s face, his face saddening when the boy flinched away. He turned and saw the man leering at Ed. Roy angrily stood.

“I’ll visit again, alright Ed,” he said rigidly. And quickly made his way out of the house, making a promise to himself, and to Ed, that he would return and get the boy away from the monster that held him captive...  

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alright here we go:
> 
> Autistic traits do not include not being able tho write, read, or talk with out a device. Especially not being able tho talk with out a device. What if one day Ed didn't have his device? It might be harder for him but he needs to know what to say to people. And writing is important because it is 1) a form of communication 2) something that everyone needs to be able to know how to do and 3) something that will be necessary to know how to do throughout his life for various reasons. And reading, well, there's a lot of reasons reading is important, reading directions, reading street signs, books, newspapers, online stuff, basically it's another skill you need to survive in this world. So these things are important for everyone to know how to do... not just neurotypicals.
> 
> Also, like I said earlier, I have two brothers with autism. Both have different stims, different habits, different special interests. The autism spectrum is called a spectrum for a reason. There's so many traits someone could have. So while some people reading this story who have autism might not be able to see themselves in Edward, someone else probably will because while he might not have any traits or characteristics that resemble you, there's so many more traits that others may be able to see and relate to in Ed.
> 
> One more thing: some people seemed tho be focusing more on Roy's name-calling instead of Edward's new shadow. Why exactly. Do you think name-calling is much more abusive than the physical and sexual abuse that the new shadow is doing to Ed? And more worthy of being pointed out instead of the shadow's abuse?
> 
> Also, answer this question for me please: why is it that calling an autistic person names is abusive while calling a neurotypical person names is just considered teasing or just plain old being mean, not abuse. We're all human, so why would the same thing be called something different depending on who it's being done to?


	8. التحول{Stage 8}

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just to let you guys know, I do not know police procedures very well so what's in this chapter about police may or may not be very accurate, I don't know.
> 
> Title Language: Arabic
> 
> Pronounciation: Alttahawwul

When Roy had left, the man turned to Ed a furious look on his face as he did. He started towards Ed and the blonde shied away but the man grabbed his arm, dragging him to the kitchen, pulling out matches. He threw Ed against the counter, the boy's head cracking against the corner, he could feel the blood seeping through his hair and looked up dazedly as the man struck a match, kneeling down in front of him, dropping the match box then gripping Ed's wrist, causing him to hiss in pain. The man set the match to the blonde's shirt and Edward screamed as fire engulfed him. He sobbed openly until the man's grimy hand clamped roughly over his mouth. He looked over at the man with wide, fearful eyes, muffled sobs still making their way through his hand. The man pulled away cursing when flames licked up the side of Ed's face, engulfing the right side of his head. Then the flames were gone, but Ed's sobs remained as his skin bubbled and blistered with heat. His right eye was screaming in pain, especially when he tried to move it.

"Shut up," the man growled and when Ed didn't quiet, he slammed the boy against the counter again, his head snapping back and slamming into the cabinets.

He passed out.

When the shirt had fallen apart, incinerated by the fire and only the bits that had fused themselves into the skin of Ed's chest which was bubbling and blistering with burns. The man stood, stomping out whatever was left of the fire, then leaving to go finish watching his sports show, grabbing a beer on his way out.

******

When Ed woke up, he could see the shadow of red where sticky blood had ran down the side of his face and into his eye. He could only see out of one. He could feel his right eye twitching as he tried to blink, but the skin was sealed shut. He couldn't feel the eye moving under the lid either though. The nerves were gone.

Cut.

Snapped.

Non-existent.

Even if he was able to separate the lids, his right eye would be blind.

He looked around wildly, trying to figure out his surroundings with his limited peripheral vision. He was laying on the kitchen floor. Why was he on the kitchen floor? Oh yeah, his shadow had punished him. His skin still sung with pain from the burns which ran from his chest, back and up the right side of his face, hence his eye being burned shut. His hair. His long, beautiful hair that he took pride in and always tried to keep clean was singed off to the roots on his right side. The smell of burnt hair still lingered in the air.

He tried to curl into himself so he could rock but moving was painful. He squeezed his eye shut as tears threatened to fall as he whimpered in pain. Nothing was left.

His shapes were gone.

His hair was gone.

Roy was gone... He promised he'd come back and visit though. He said... He promised....

Who was he kidding? He might not be good at deciphering body language but even he could see the look of horror and disgust on Roy's face. Roy wasn't coming back. He should've given Roy his watch while he had had the chance. He'd forgotten all about it. But he'd lost that chance. Roy was gone. Forever.

The man stepped into the kitchen and Ed looked up at him tiredly from his spot on the floor. Maybe one day the man would kill him. His shadow smirked.

"Did you have a nice sleep?" He asked, "I was worried you wouldn't wake up," he feigned concern and Ed turned away. He didn't see it when the man dived, grabbing him by the throat and squeezing it tightly.

"Look at me when I'm talking to you! You understand?!" Ed nodded frantically hoping that the man would let go of him, but he didn't. Ed could see black spots in his vision as he choked and the man stared curiously, almost as if he wasn't holding Ed's life in his hands. Ed grabbed ahold of the man's wrists.

"Ugh... Ugh-" He choked out as he grasped at the man's wrists.

"You've gotten so thin," the man said in wonder, still not paying attention to Edward's struggles, "and weak," he threw Ed away from him so that the boy slid across the floor and into a wall. The air was knocked out of him and he wheezed. His breaths came short and cut off quickly as he tried to regain his breath. Just as he was recovering the man had approached him and kicked his stomach, knocking the air out of him again.

"So easy to hurt," he leaned down, Ed could smell beer on his breath, "so easy to kill," he fisted his hand and showed Ed, "I could kill you with my own hands, I bet you'd like that wouldn't you?" It was true, Ed wanted to die. But not painfully, He was so tired of pain. He just wanted everything to stop. Just like that... Stop.

Ed sucked in a slow breath and let his head drop to the floor with a soft thump and the man left him alone. His breathing slowly evened out and his seeing eye closed slowly as he fell into a deep sleep again.

_Roy:_

Roy had quit his job with Alen. He couldn't concentrate on the other kid when he was trying to get Ed out of the place he was in right now. He'd gotten ahold of an old friend, Maes Hughes, a police officer and had told him the situation.

The process to get permission to search Edward's house was difficult and they almost didn't get it. Roy didn't sleep during the weeks that it took to get all the permissions they needed to get Ed out of there.

One month later, they had all the permissions needed and Roy and Maes were standing at the front door of Edward's home, was it really a home?

"Hey Roy, it'll be okay," the police officer said turning towards him, "We'll get him out of there," Roy nodded silently and Hughes knocked on the door. Before the door opened they heard a crash and a yelp then a man opened the door.

"Uhh, can I help you?" The man and Hughes showed him the warrant, "we're here for a house search," The man's eyes widened then narrowed.

"Why?"

"There have been reports that you've been abusing a child under your care, now please let us in," the man tried to close the door on them and Maes stuck his foot out catching the door and kicking it back open, forcing his way inside. He turned to his team, "search everywhere, closets, under beds, in the basement, everywhere." he told them, they nodded and went off. The man must've hit his head hard on the door because he was knocked out. Roy didn't spare him even a glance.

After maybe 25 minutes, which seemed like an eternity to Roy. Riza, one of the people on Hughes's team came down carrying a wide-eyed Edward. Roy sucked in a breath. The skin on his chest was charred and so was the skin on the right side of his face. Many places where there were burns were infected, pus oozing out of the wounds. His right eye was covered with charred skin, probably burned shut permanently.

Over and over he repeated:

_"Hurts,"_

_"Hurts,"_

_"Hurts,"_

Then he looked up and caught sight of Roy and broke his mantra.

"Roy," he whispered, his voice barely a rasp. It had probably been damaged when his face and throat had caught fire.

"Oh Ed..."


	9. સ્વરૂપાંતર{Stage 9}

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Language: Gujarati  
> Pronounciation: Svarūpāntara  
> Writing Music Artists: Ruelle, Halsey, Hurts

Edward’s seeing eye went large as Roy rushed to him and he gripped Riza’s uniform shirt so tightly that his knuckles turned white. Maes grabbed his arms.

        “Slow down,” he said in a hushed tone, “he’s scared,” Roy took a deep breath and let it out, then started towards Ed, slowly this time. When he reached Ed and Riza, he could see Ed’s shaking and hear his breath shuddering as he breathed. Roy could hear as his mantra had started up again and he was repeating the same word over and over again.

        _“Hurts,”_  
  
 _“Hurts,”_

_“Hurts,”_

        Over and over he repeated it, and he looked away from Roy. Roy couldn’t even imagine what was going through his mind right now.

        “Ed,” Edward’s eye snapped back to him again. Roy smiled reassuringly at him, “hey, Ed,” he whispered but Ed was silent. Riza handed him over, “You’re going to live with me from now on okay?” Ed stared blankly at him. What? What was going on? Roy carried him outside and there was an ambulance parked outside the front of the house.

        Edward inhaled the fresh air of outside… Such a difference from the stale stinking air inside the house. He closed his eyes and relaxed for the first time in a while. His eye flew open though when Roy handed him over to a medic. He panicked, what? What was going on?

"Roy," he called out softly at first then went into a state of panic, "Roy! Roy! Roy!" He felt a hand resting on his arm as they strapped him to a gurney.

"I'm here Ed," he whispered and Ed looked up at him fearfully, looking left and right frantically.

"I-is he gone...?" He rasped and Roy nodded and smiled reassuringly. Ed sighed in relief, the man was gone, he was gone. Ed cracked a small smile, something he hadn't done in a long time... Not since the man had come.

They loaded him into the ambulance, Roy following right next to the gurney, a woman stopped him.

"Only family can ride sir," she said and Roy frowned.

"He has no family, I'm his caretaker," the woman didn't let him on until Ed started panicking at the loss of Roy by his side.

"Roy?! Roy?! Roy! Roy! Roy!!!" He shouted over and over, eye wide as he frantically tried tho break the gurney' s restraints, "Roy!!!" Roy pushed past the woman and ran to Ed's side again.

"I'm here Edward," he said and Ed somehow got a hold of Roy's hand, squeezing it tightly.

"Don't... Don't let go..." He rasped as he did his eye started sliding shut. Roy smiled a bit. Today must've been extremely exhausting for him. It had been exhausting for Roy, hide could only imagine what Ed must be going though.

The first this the people in the ambulance did was treat the burns. Many were infected and needed tho be treated immediately, who knew how long they'd gone untreated. While two tended to his burns, another cleaned the cuts on his arms.

"They were cut using some sort of glass," the man treating the blonde said, "there's no telling what things he might've picked up from it. There might also be shards from the glass."

Ed sat unnerving still as the medics treated him, only making an occasional whimper. Almost as if he was used to pain. That thought made Roy throw up a little. Who knows what that bastard put Edward through! He squeezed Ed's hand lightly as he swallowed thickly. This was his fault. This was

All.

His.

Fault...

He leaned over, pressing his forehead against Ed's hand. Edward watched him with a seemingly vacant eye, only working a little as his wounds were treated.

They reached the hospital and Edward was rolled into the building. Roy followed them to the room have would be staying in, making sure that grew was settled before going tho check him in.

Immediately after he was done, he hurried back to Edward's room where he found the boy already asleep, snoring softly. Roy smiled a bit, sitting down in a chair next to the blonde's bed. Slowly, he also, fell into a sleep. The first good sleep he'd had in almost over a month.

*****

Next morning, Roy found a blanket draped over his shoulders. A nurse must've stopped by because Ed was also hooked up to a water bag and monitor. He was still asleep for now but Roy knew that Ed would try to rip out the IVs until Roy convinced him to calm down. Roy stood deciding to wander down to the hospital cafeteria to get Ed and him some food. He came back with some macaroni and cheese. Ed's favorite meal. He had walked back in just as Edward was walking up. Roy smiled,

"Hey Ed," he said softly, "I got some Mac for you," he held out the bowl and Edward looked at it, seemingly surprised.

"Food...?" His rough voice sounded strange, a tone in it that Roy couldn't put a finger on, "I-I get foo-food...?" He looked back up at Roy, tears shining in his left eye, "I-I get food?" Roy noticed at that moment just how thin the blonde was, Roy could count his ribs and his hips were terrifyingly prominent. Roy frowned, swallowed thickly and held out the bowl and a spoon, this time more demanding.

"Yeah," he assured, his voice tight with tension, "you get food Ed." Edward shied away when Roy held out the bowl at first, watching him warily before grabbing the bowl as quick as lighting and dug in, eating ravenously, Roy didn't even bother trying to get Edward to use his manners, the boy was starving for Christ's sake!

Then, the doctor came in...


	10. Metamorfos{Stage 10}

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Language: Swedish
> 
> Note: This hasn't been proofread yet, but it's been so long since I've posted something. When gets edited though, I'll be sure to put the revised version up.

Ed didn't like doctors. He didn't like them at all. They poked and prodded in places where he didn't like to be touched. Usually when Roy took him, he would throw a small fit but eventually get over it and tolerate it. Unless there was a shot involved. He hated shots with a passion.

Right now he didn't want to be anywhere near a doctor. But here a doctor was. He had brown hair with gray mixed in. His name tag said Dr. Rodgers. He checked over Ed, inspecting the burns on his face, specifically focusing on his burned shut eye, and side. He checked his eyes and ears. It was almost like a normal check up. Then he turned spoke to Roy.

"I don't think we'll be able to recover his eye, it looks like the skin of his lid, melted shut." he had said regretfully, "His burns should heal fine if they're cleaned and treated right everyday, but they'll leave scarring. We'll also need to take some x-rays and some MRI'S, just to check and see in anything interior has also been damaged, and to see if the eye is still in working condition" The man said calmly. Roy only nodded quietly and the doctor turned to Ed who stared back at him, seeing eye wide with mistrust. The man smiled.  
"Hello Edward," he said. He had a warm voice, Ed noted vaguely as he watched the man, "I'll be your doctor while you're here," he explained, but Ed just stared at him quietly. Roy and Dr. Rodgers' voices bled into the background and he spaced off. He looked down at his arms to spot an IV and started picking at it. They didn't bother him much anymore, IVs, but he had nothing to do.

Eventually Roy's hand covered his and he looked up. He could hear Roy telling him that they were going to go give him some x-ray and that tomorrow they would give him something called an MRI which Roy explained to him what it was, but the blonde didn't register it. When Roy finished talking he gave Ed a reassuring smile and Ed forced a smile back because that's what you do when someone smiles at you. You smile back... Right?

Nurses helped Ed into a wheelchair and they wheeled him to a small room with a machine, the x-ray, in it. The process was quick and eventually he got to go back to his room and Roy brought him some more macaroni and cheese to eat. God, he couldn't remember how long it'd been since he'd eaten so much. He was _starvin_ g. When he finished, he looked over to Roy who was eating. He was much slower than Ed, but he was also probably not as starved. And he was using manners. Ed felt his face grow hot. Roy had always said that he must always use his manners and here he was, being such a pig.

After eating, he gently set his bowl to the side and leaned back, looking up at the ceiling. Why were hospitals always so while and sterile? Couldn't the add just a _little_ bit of color? Ed felt his eyes grow heavy, and he started falling asleep again. His head lulled to the side and the last thing he saw before he fell asleep was Roy smiling reassuringly at him.

The doctor was there, bright and early next morning with the scans and x-rays.

Ed had a tumor in his brain.

It was small, but spread out.

They wouldn't be able to take it all out.

He has six months.

Roy shook his head, not believing it. Strong, hot-headed, good natured Ed, was going to die. He didn't deserve this. Roy asked the doctor when he'd be able to take Ed home, and the doctor has said tomorrow.

Roy spent the day filling out the forms for Edward's release.

********

Next morning, they were able tho leave. They first passed by the house that Edward had been trapped in. The blonde had frozen in fright when they had gone too the house.

What? Why was he going back? Hadn't Roy come to save him?

"No," he had whispered and Roy had turned curiously, "I... I? I don't want to... go ba-back," he said eyes wide and Roy's face was sad.

"Ed you're not going back, we're here to pick up your stuff." He smiled and held out a hand, "come on," Ed stared at Roy's hand for a bit before taking it hesitantly. Roy led him into the house.

They took all his clothes, all his Bill Nye videos that he'd hidden from the man. They were leaving the house when Ed let out a sharp cry.

"Forgot!" He shrieked and ran back into the house. He ran to a corner in the upstairs linen closet where there were loose floorboards and pulled the wooden planks up, grabbing what had been hidden underneath them.

A small box. He proudly carried his parcel to Roy.

"Gift," he explained, "bought... bought? Bought it day you left," Roy took the box and opened it curiously. A watch.. a pocket watch to be exact.

"Why a watch Ed?" Roy asked and Ed happily explained.

"So you don't have to look at kitchen clock to check for 2:30," he said excitedly, "you just pull out watch and boom!" He made an explosion gesture with his hands, "you got time!" He said, "agnh," then Ed went from smiling to holding his head in pain. Roy felt like he could cry. The doctor had said that these headaches would be common and would happen even more often as time went on. Why did it have to be Ed? He didn't deserve this... so much has already happened to him.

Roy pocketed the watch them pulled some pain killers out of his bag and a bottle of water and poured two pills into his hand and held them out with the water.

"Here Ed," he told the boy, "take these," Ed looked up and saw the pills, Roy was holding out to him. He was used to pills. He'd been taking then since he'd started with Roy. He'd tried chewing them the first couple of times... that hadn't worked out very well.

He took hold of the pills, downing them and chasing them with a drink of water.

After he had taken them, Roy helped him to the car. He drove them to to Roy's apartment, Ed's new home. Edward's headache had somewhat subsided and he was now looking around Roy's home with curious wonder. Roy got out then opened the car for for him and he stepped out. This was a very nice home, Ed concluded. He hoped he wouldn't break anything. They'd gone inside and the first thing that Ed noticed was that on a table in the foyer, was a brand new talking device. Ed smiled, a real smile and picked it up, turning it on and typing fast.

"Thank you so much Roy," said the robotic voice, "thank you for saving me."

Roy smiled, tears actually threatening to escape his eyes. He needed to make the most of these six months.

"You're welcome Edward."


	11. Metamorphosis{Stage 11}

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Language: English

During the first month, the first thing that Edward had wanted to do was a speech therapy session. That surprised Roy.

"Why? You hated speech?"

"Missed it," Edward typed into his device, "It was time with you."

"Alright..." He said and they sat down at the table, and Roy had a piece of paper and a pen. He showed Edward his address and told him the new phone number. Ed tried his best to write it all out correctly and Roy was patient. Ed read a book and Roy helped him with words he didn't know. The book was called The Adventures of Alice in Wonderland.

It was his favorite book now.

Speech therapy became an everyday thing again.

On the second month, Ed decided he wanted to learn to make chocolate chip cookies.

"We have to make big ones," He explained, "Like at the bakery down the street," so Roy taught him. He showed Ed the recipe and what measuring cups to use. How to work the oven.

Ed had tried to eat at least half the cookie dough and almost succeeded before Roy reminded him that if there was no cookie dough there would be no cookies.

As they waited for the cookies Ed would take out his shapes, and create them. Just like he had before. And Roy sat with him, asking questions and giving Ed his own ideas.

Roy always had painkillers and water on hand if Ed ever had a headache.

He changed the bandages for Edward's burns at least once everyday. They'd started healing now, but it was obvious that they would scar badly.

During the third month Ed had asked Roy to teach him how to tie up his hair with a tie and Roy did. Roy hadn't tied up Ed's hair since the blonde learned how. He missed it.

Mid-way between the fourth month it was Roy's birthday. Ed had used a recipe that Roy had to make a chocolate cake for him. He'd had a hard time keeping it a secret since Roy didn't really go out much unless it was with him anymore (He wondered why...), but he managed and that night, after dinner he had pulled out the cake, grinning proudly. He set it down and said,

"Happy Birthday Roy," in the clearest voice he'd ever used. Roy had smiled and joked to Ed that he didn't need the reminder that he was getting old. Then he said that the cake looked delicious and helped himself to a large piece.

The cake was delicious.

During the fifth month, Edward's headaches became something that happened so much that Roy knew immediately when one was coming on and would already have painkillers and water on hand.

Every time Roy had to give him the pills though, his throat would get just a little bit tighter and swallowing would become just a little bit harder to do.

Ed's burns had almost healed. They didn't even need bandages anymore.

The scar tissue on the right side of Ed's face was stiff and he wasn't able to show any emotion with it. His eye seemed to have shrunken since it wasn't used anymore and so the sealed lid had caved.

Sometimes Ed was self conscious about his burns, but Roy would always be there, saying it was alright and that looks didn't mean everything. That always made Ed feel better.

At the very beginning of the sixth month, Ed had wanted to plant flowers out front. He chose stargazer lilies. They bought the bulbs and planted them.

Ed watched them everyday, waiting for a sprout.

Two weeks after they had planted the bulbs, Ed was rushed to the hospital with a seizure. They got him stabilized. But the doctor said that he wouldn't wake up. Roy had nodded. He'd barely heard what the doctor was saying as he sat by the blonde who was in the hospital bed, looking as if he was just sleeping. Except... There was a respirator, forcing air into his lungs, forcing him to breath. His gasps only close enough to keep him alive, and loud, painful sounding.

It hurt Roy.

The doctor asked if he was ready and he nodded. No! No he wasn't ready! Who the fuck could ever be ready for something like this?!

A nurse took him off the respirator and set a stethoscope to his chest. Minutes passed.

_One..._

_Two..._

_Three..._

_Four..._

_"He's gone..."_

 

 

 

 

**_~End~_ **


End file.
